Spinning-top



H. C. SAUTER.

SPINNING TOP.

APPLICATION man IN S. 1920.

1,349,226. Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

INVENTOR WW BY 6 M W ATTORNEY HERMAN C. SAUTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPINNING-TOR Application filed January 8, 1920.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMAN C. SAUTER, a citizen of Germany, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spinning-Tops, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to spinning tops, and more particularly to that type which is adapted to receive its initial 1mpulse from an air-blast.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an in1 )roved toy of this class, which is exceedingly simple in construction, efficient in operation and one that can be manufactured on a commercial scale, or in other words one which is not so difiicult to make as to be beyond a reasonable cost of such a contrivance.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and pro portion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a spinning top constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a central vertical section taken therethrough, showing also atube or pipe through which air is forced into the toy; Fig. 3 is a top elevation of the toy; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof; and Fig. 5 is a section similar to the one shown in Fig. 2 of a portion of the device, on a larger scale.

The spinning top comprises a disk 10, made preferably of sheet metal, although. any other material may be used, if desired. This disk is provided with a central opening 11, from which radiates slits 12, thereby making the central portion of the disk resilient, so that it can be easily drawn over a hollow spindle 13, the diameter of which is somewhat larger thanthat of the opening 11, This spindle is closed at its lower pointed Specification of Letter Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Serial No. 350,175.

end 14 and open at its upper end 15. A substantial distance above the pointed lower end of the spindle, there are formed therein two spaced peripheral grooves, indicated at 16 and 17, said grooves extending in planes at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the spindle 13. In the upper one of these grooves, that is to say in the groove 16, is fitted the disk 10, it being held in position by solder 18, or other suitable material, which covers at the same time the slits 12.

Against the underface of the disk 10 fits a stanshaped body 19, the arms of which are curved and concaved. The depth of the arms decreases from the inner ends thereof toward their outer ends, the latter being disposed near the periphery of the disk 10. The center of the star-shaped body is provided with an opening 20, from which radiate slits 21, thereby making the central portion resilient so that it can be drawn over the spindle 13 and fitted into the groove 17. hen in place, the starshaped body is soldered all around its edges to the disk member 10, solder, as shown at 22, being applied, to cover the slits so as to make an air-tight joint. In this manner curved air passages are formed, air issuing from the same at their outer open ends 23 substantially tangential to the disk 10.

Between the grooves 16 and 1?, the spindle 13 is provided with a plurality of apertures 24, preferably corresponding in numher to the number of the arms of the starshaped body 19, so that each one of these apertures is adapted to register with one of the air passages.

Into the spindle l3 fits loosely a pipe 25, a shoulder 26 being formed upon the interior face of the spindle 13 above the apertures 24, to form a stop for the said pipe. In the case illustrated in the drawings, this shoulder is obtained in forming the groove 16. for instance, by spinning operation.

The operation of this device is as follows :-The top is placed with its pointed spindle 14 upon a table or other flat surface, and the pipe 25 inserted into the said spindle. Air is then blown into the pipe 25, which, escaping through the curved passages in a direction tangentially to the periphery of the disk 10, causes the top to spin by reaction. The pipe may then be withdrawn from the hollow spindle 13, after which the toy will spin in the manner of an ordinary spinning top.

\Vhat I claim is t- A spinning top comprising a hollow pointed spindle provided a substantial distance above its point with two spaced peripheral grooves, said grooves extending in planes at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said spindle, a disk having a central opening fitted into the upper one of said grooves, a starsl1aped concaved body having a central opening fitted into the lower one of said grooves, said star-shaped body abutting against the underfaee of said disk and being fixed thereto to form passages extending from said spindle to the periphery of said disk, a plurality of apertures in said spindle between its grooves, and a shoulder on the inner face ol said spindle disposed above said grooves.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 22nd day of December, 1919.

HERMAN C. SAUTER. 

